Today I have something totally new and different to throw at you! My family recently visited Knoebels Amusement Resort in Elysburg, Pennsylvania. I took a million pictures. I watched my children’s faces beam with joy. I ate all the good food. And today I wanted to share some of that joy with you in what I am calling my first post in my 2018 Travel Guide, 7 Reasons Why Knoebels is Awesome!
1. Admission is FREE
FREE just so happens to be one of my favorite words. Everybody and their Mama loves free. If you have small children, you know the struggle of taking them to an amusement park as the parent. YOU don’t exactly get to ride the rides that YOU want to ride. If you don’t want to pay an expensive entrance fee to put your kids on a mini merry-go-round a couple of times, Knoebles in the place to visit.
The free admission is awesome because you are only paying for the rides you actually go on. Knoebels uses wristbands + tickets during the week and only tickets on the weekends. Again, the tickets are nice because you only pay for what you get on.
2. The Food
Knoebels Amusement Resort has a wide variety of foods that you can’t find anywhere else. From regional favorites like potato cakes and pirogies, to carnival foods like funnel cake, candy apples, and cotton candy… there is certainly something for everyone. Our family has a few Knoebels favorites including the fresh cut fries, chicken fries, the bavarian nut stand, and the ice cream mill. A trip to Knoebels is not complete without an ice cream cone or milkshake at the end!
The food choices are also super affordable! Compared to other amusement parks we have visited, the food is a lot less expensive. If you aren’t into riding rides, I would suggest going to Knoebels just to check out the food and people watch. We could totally spend an evening with the family there just hanging out and grabbing something to eat.
3. The Natural Beauty
There aren’t many amusement parks that have beautiful creeks running through them! The natural beauty around Knoebels is striking. The mountains, the mature trees mix amongst the rides, and the creeks running through the park make it a unique mix of nature and amusement park. The mature trees really come in handy on a hot day as well because they provide much needed shade from the hot sun. To experience the natural beauty for yourself, you must ride the ski lift they have going up the mountain. It is a beautiful view!
Side note: Our kids have actually played in the creek as well (it is shallow). We were with a group in a pavilion that lined the creek and they just couldn’t help themselves. 🙂
4. The Rides
The rides at Knoebels Amusement Resort provide something for everyone! Knoebels is like one huge carnival. Whether you have small children, teenagers, or Grandma and Grandpa with you, everyone can enjoy the rides. I would call the rides a mix between carnival favorites and big time amusement rides.
Our Favorite Rides
We love all of the kiddie rides! They are brightly colored and perfect for toddlers. We have spent the better part of our days at Knoebels in the kiddie ride section, and the rides never get old! In the kiddie section they also have a bouncy castle, ball pit, super duper slide, and a miniature version of their carousel.
Family favorite rides include the big carousel, the train, and the log flume. Every year we get a family train selfie. The train ride is pretty long and goes into a tunnel, under a roller coaster, and into the woods.
For older kids and teens, they have a couple large roller coasters including wooden coasters + metal coasters, thrilling tides that take you up really high and then drop you, a tidal wave if you are looking to get soaked on a hot day, and plenty of carnival type rides like the merry mixer and the salt and pepper shakers.
5. FREE Parking
You guys, the word free again! Other large parks rip you $25+ just to park your car in the parking lot. Knoebels parking is absolutely free. Nuff. Said. Merica.
Side note: Remember to take note of where you parked! A couple of times we totally didn’t do this and were wandering around the parking lot for a half hour looking for our car at the end of the day. Face palm!
6. Short Wait Times for Rides
We have been to Knoebels several times when the parking lot was almost completely full. Even on these days we have not waited extensively to ride the rides. The last time we were there, we barely waited at all. It was a slightly overcast day and that must have kept people from visiting the park because the kids just walked on to most of the rides. Our longest wait time was for the train and that was probably about 15 minutes.
Short wait times make for a easy-going, relaxing day!
7. Overall Affordability
A recurring theme here has been affordability. Free park admission, free parking, and reasonable food prices make Knoebels affordable no matter what your budget. A few hours at Knoebels won’t break the bank, and that is awesome! As a family of 7, affordability is huge for us. We would have spent nearly TRIPLE at other amusement parks in the area, simply because they have an admission fee, expensive parking, and expensive food prices.
Other Things to Know
- When you are driving there you might be feeling like you are in the middle of nowhere. You are. 🙂
- Your feet will be very dirty at the end of the day. When we get home from Knoebels we actually wake the kids up and give them a bath before they get into bed. I just can’t with the dirty feet!
- Some of the restrooms there need an update. They are far better then they used to be, but when you see them you’ll know what I’m talking about. It isn’t a deal breaker for me, but worth noting.
- Your kids will want to play the games. Yes, they have carnival style games and prizes there. We usually tell each kid they can pick one game to play. The games are actually win-able and we’ve come home with prizes almost every year.
- The way you pronounce the name is debatable. We think you pronounce it with a K, although looking at the word it could also be a N.
- Check out their website!
Great read. I love knoebels. Great pictures, looks like an awesome day.